time is a funny thing....

It was 7 months ago that I set out looking for the castle of Saint-Priest on my own, clinging to my new cell phone in case I got lost and needed to call for help, nervously looking over my shoulder in fear of being the victim of pick-pocketing or worse. Everything was so different and scary, I knew no one, I had no idea how to get anywhere, my French was raw and I felt like passersby could smell the lingering stench of America. (I say stench because I was under the impression the French didn't necessarily like Americans, nor would they be too happy to have me wandering around their town... who knew how wrong this stereotype was!)

I went on a similar walk this morning, however this time I didn't get lost, didn't need to ask someone for directions (looking back, how on Earth did I miss the château the first go-around???), didn't worry a bit about being hassled... and the only anxiety I felt was due to the fact that I leave to come home in less than 24 hours! I passed now familiar buildings, the boulodrome and the soccer stadium, my doctor's office and the concert hall. I didn't worry so much about looking American or not fitting in (especially sporting French shoes and clothes hehe), and the only reason I felt slightly uncomfortable was due to my clothes fitting a little tighter than they did back in October (damn you French pastries!!!). 

It's funny how much can change in only a matter of 7 months. I went into a boulangerie with ease, not worrying about what I would order or how I would say it. I may not have the most authentic of French accents, but I certainly don't stutter or fumble for my words like I used to... and I can certainly understand everything going on around me. (I still wish my French was better, but I'm sure if my old self and new self met, the new self would laugh at old self's French!)

On this first walk around Saint-Priest, I remember being nervous about work and how the classrooms, teachers, and kids would be different. I'd pass kids with their parents and think- will they be in one of my classes? How will I get there? What will I teach? Will I babysit or tutor for extra money? Will I have enough time and money to travel? Everything was so uncertain- and look at me now!

I had a mostly wonderful experience teaching in the schools and I really enjoyed getting to know my colleagues and students. When I was at the boulangerie this morning, I heard, "Maman, c'est Leensay!!!" I turned around to see a student from my Monday school who was wishing me bon voyage and bonnes vacances. I passed by a park I sat at on my second or third venture into the village of Saint-Priest and remembered thinking.... hmmm wonder if these people need/want an English speaking babysitter? And although I didn't have a lucrative tutoring and babysitting schedule these last 7 months- I miraculously found one of the nicest families I could have possibly found... and they've done more than enough to make me feel at home and welcome in this country.

I worried about whether or not my friends and family would follow-through with plans to come visit (and thank goodness they did!!!). I worried about making friends and whether or not I would travel on my own (hurray for new friends!!). I worried about maintaining a long-distance relationship (and I do mean longggg)... but everything turned out better than I could have imagined (yay sparkly ring on my finger haha!). 

I won't say that I haven't had a few rough patches while living abroad- especially after my computer died, when I had the flu, feeling homesick and sad after each time a visitor from home left, and having to be a big girl all grown up and figuring things out on my own in a foreign country.... but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm leaving with no regrets, files of beautiful pictures, confidence in my traveling skills, new friends, a unique teaching experience, a fantastic French vocabulary;), and a blog full of memories. Who could ask for more??

The last few weeks I've had a lot of people ask me: Which country do you like better? Do you prefer living in France? Will you ever move here permanently? Of course the answer, for me, is no. My home is where my family is and although I love many things about France, there are many things I miss about home too. This won't be the last time I am in France, I will surely visit again (and again and again?)... but I don't think I would ever be able to say that I prefer it over my home. I know there will be aspects about living à la francaise that I will come to miss (probably more than I expect)... so I'll just have to come back for a little taste every once in a while:) So until we meet again mon amie, so long France!

See you on the flip side! Thanks for reading!

Reste cool:)

Joyeuses Paques!

Happy Easter Monday to you (a celebrated day off for the French)! Time to take a packing and cleaning break to recount my Easter Sunday!!!

Yesterday, I went into Lyon bright and early to check out the Creation Market one last time. Unfortunately for me, the market was a little slow getting set up (online it said it opened as early as 6am... and I was there at 8:30 with many booths not yet set up!)... and the man that sold my friend Amy prints of Lyon was no where to be found! Fair enough, it was Easter Sunday, so perhaps he was at church... or better yet across the river having a café and croissant at the busy food market. I looked around to see if any of the other art or creations struck my fancy with my friend Caroline, who is the only one of our little group of assistants still in town. Hannah has already returned home and the others are on trips to various places around Europe before heading home later in May.

I couldn't decide on anything I liked as well, for as good of a price as the prints were, so we walked back towards the metro station, with a stop at a bakery for breakfast. Caroline and I said our goodbyes and I made it home in time to shower before Nathalie came to pick me up. (*Side note about my metro ride into Lyon- because it was both a Sunday and a holiday, the metro ran less frequently, taking me a little longer than usual to get in and out. But what really made my ride in slow involved a screeching halt between the first stop and second metro stop on my line. Once the metro had been stopped, we all stood to look at what was going on on the tracks. Immediately we could tell something was wrong because people were waving their hands for the metro cars to stop, looking down into the tracks- where there was a person. At first I thought it was someone who had fallen, but once the woman was helped back onto the side, and the metro got rolling again to let people on.... the men who had helped the woman on were shaking their heads like she had done something wrong.... So I don't know if she was sick, pushed, drunk, or trying to get run over.... but it kind of freaked me out!)

Nathalie picked me up around 11:30am, driving me from Saint-Priest to Solaize, a small village about 20 minutes south west of Saint-Priest. The village has no more than about 3,000 inhabitants (Saint-Priest has about 40,000.... so we were definitely out in the country!!!). It is surrounded by farm land and old farm houses, and has an adorable little town square, complete with boulangerie, boucherie, pharmacie, mairie, and 15th century église. It's not a tourist destination by any means, but it's a neat example of how an old French farm village has turned into a nice place for families to settle down with kids (yet it only takes 30 minutes to get into Lyon). I found it to be a charming little town:)

Before heading to Nathalie's house, we stopped to pick up bread in the square...  just a minute's drive from their house (which she said was built in 2005). It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom maison, with a salt water pool in the backyard, and an electric gated entrance to the driveway (they all have gated driveways... but not all are electronically operated!). I quickly met her family- 2 little boys named Noah and Mahé, ages 7 and 2, and her husband Patrice, who goes by Pat (and he calls her Nat- Pat and Nat hehe). All further chatting could wait; we had eggs to find:) The boys had been eying the sparkly colored wrappers from the window all morning, or so it seemed.

The French Easter egg hunting tradition involves finding chocolate eggs outside that the Easter bunny laid overnight. You're probably thinking- won't they melt?? But no! The eggs are strategically placed under bushes, trees, or other objects so that they don't melt in the sun... :) Noah quickly ran around finding eggs while Mahé was guided by his parents to look under certain trees or potted plants. It was very funny and cute, had I known them a little better I would have taken pictures!

Once all the eggs were found, they were allowed to eat one egg before l'apéro. Pat and I drank kirs while Nathalie and the boys had sirop. We snacked on little dorito type chips and guacamole before having salad, rice, and chili for lunch (with bread and cheese of course lol). Nathalie said sorry that it wasn't more French, but they're big fans of chili... I thought- I really am being assimilated back into American culture these last few days;)

Pat works for EDF, the mostly state-owned electricity and gas monopoly in France, as an engineer. He's a really nice guy, very hospitable and a helpful host to Nathalie. Noah is in a CP class at the school in Solaize and Mahé goes to the daycare center right next door. Noah was so interested in hearing about America... and would mention little things he knew about us too (for example, he said, I know something American- Shrek!). They asked me all about where I'd traveled this year, the things I'd miss about France, the biggest differences, what I'd be doing when I return home, where I'd live, etc. etc. This was all while Mahé banged around and started getting cranky:) Nathalie said, what time is it Mahé? And he'd say, time for dodo (which means bed time!).

So while we waited for Mahé to wake up from his nap (which ended up being 3 hours long), Nathalie, Noah, and I ate dessert (a cake made out of cookies similar to tiramisu but without the mascarpone and with crème anglaise). It was yummy, especially with a cup of espresso! When we were done, and while Pat took a nap on the couch lol, Nathalie and I chatted, she showed me her wedding pictures (from 2005, after Noah was born), we friended each other on facebook, cleaned up from lunch... and finally went to get Mahé up from his nap (after surveying the new deck Pat was building around their pool with Noah).

We got all ready to go out for a walk, Noah riding his scooter and Mahé in a little pushable bike. They walked me all around Solaize, showing me where people they knew lived, the school, the square, and pretty farm houses. Pat's parents live in Solaize as well, and Nathalie's parents are just over in the next village called Corbas. They've both lived in the Lyon area since they were little, only ever leaving for a few years while Pat was working for EDF in a different town in France (either Nantes or Nancy... I forget!). It was a nice long walk... and although I was probably ready/over due for a nap, we went back to their house so they could start dinner.

I read books with the boys until it was bath time (for them, not me hehe). One of the books happened to be about animals wearing diapers, what their particular poop looked like in the diaper, and one special animal, the souris (mouse), who instead of going in his diaper, went potty in the pot. Charmant, non?

We ate dinner around 7:30/8 (zucchini casserole with ham), the boys were allowed to watch one tv show, and then it was back to dodo! From about 9:30-10:30, Pat, Nat, and I watched some tv, talking a little bit about how they want to visit the US (cool!)... and eventually, Nathalie got me back home by about 11pm. Another long French day with a cute little French family (and on Easter Sunday at that!) :) Not my normal Easter day festivities, but it was nice to be with a family, if I couldn't be with my own!

Now... you're probably wondering- how many more blogs am I going to post? I only have... 2 more full days in France! Eek! Will I keep writing when I'm home??? What would I write about? Well- I think your answer is in the title of my blog- I started blogging as a way to let my friends and family know what I was up to while I was abroad for 7 months as an assistant. On the other hand, I've really enjoyed sharing my experiences with new friends and followers... and just because I won't be in France for a long period of time again, I will, inevitably, travel somewhere cool again someday, if only for a week or less. But- I think I'll probably write a few more posts to say farewell for now... and maybe even one or two more follow-up posts when I get home. You have to know how this part of the story ends, now don't you?! I could have some major French experience while at the airport on Thursday! You never know.... :)

And if I ever decide to take up blogging again, I'm not sure if I'd continue on this same page or what else it would be on besides traveling... or who the target audience would be. Maybe I'll do a blog for my new friends in France... and the blog will be a way for me to continue working on my French? Or maybe I'll write a blog about trying to raise my own children speaking French? Or maybe I'll blog about cooking à la francaise (oh wait, I think that has been done already... ) Hmmm blogging ideas to be continued....

In the meantime- reste cool and send me good packing vibrations! I hope it will all fit!!!

children's books, bowling surprise, and circus tent dancing

Phew! I'm exhausted from my long day yesterday.... but it's just too good of a story not to blog about it! I don't want to forget all the deets!

So- to start off my day, I went and did the final two loads of laundry that I will ever do in my little Saint-Priest neighborhood laverie! Woohoo! I didn't have any coins, so I decided to be brave and go into the bar next door, which the laundromat lady's husband owns/runs. It was surprisingly full of little old men and women for being 10am... most of them had little cafés... but others seemed to be regular drunks. The bartender/laundromat lady's hubby, was very nice and gave me my coins, asking if I knew how to use the machines or needed help with anything. I said, nope I'm a regular laundromat goer... but even still, as I walked out the door, I had silly looking drunk men yelling advice on how to use the machines.

After getting my laundry all put up to dry on the rack (and eating a delicious croque monsieur from a bakery on the way home), I gathered up my materials I had borrowed from the head office in Saint-Priest (where Laurence's office used to be... and where Céline, her replacement, currently works) and set off to return them quickly before stopping by Corinne's house. Of course it wasn't very quick because Christine, the woman who lead our in-services, was there to help organize the Saint-Priest language festival that will take place in June. So I met Céline for the first time, talked to them both about how it was ashame I'd be missing the festival, how this year went, how they were thankful for having me work with them, etc. It was very nice, until I made the mistake of saying I left all the materials I had made in the apartment for the people next year (as the previous assistants left binders of  stuff for me). Céline said, oh well... we don't know who will be living in that apartment next year, so you should bring us all that stuff.... in the next few hours because we will be closed over break and before you leave. I wasn't going to be available to do such, so I worked out the plan that I'd box up the stuff and have Corinne bring it over for them after break (poor Corinne).

And so I walked to Corinne's house with a big cardboard box :/ I guess it does make sense for it to all be at the main office, but.... it was very convenient for me to just look in my closet and find materials when I needed them... but I guess it's not really my decision. On the other hand, I'm leaving a bunch of other crap here (some sheets and towels I bought here as well as office supplies type materials.... which I hope is OK because it's not all going to fit in that box and it's not coming home with me!).

Corinne was out gardening when I walked up and she said, well what'd you bring me?? I recounted my little afternoon adventure to her and she willingly offered to be the one to take the materials to the main office without me asking her, so that was nice:) It was warm out, so she asked if I wanted a drink (sirop!!!) and we sat to chat. She helped me figure out the SFR letter I had just received, containing another sticker to stick on a box meant to contain my neufbox (which I just sent away using a different sticker they sent me). Oy vay I thought- did I send the box with the wrong sticker? But it turned out to just be another option for sending the package (through a different mail carrier system). Then, we got down to real business.

I logged into my email and she read through the most recent conversations between me and the bank lady. She said it didn't make much sense to her either (making me feel less useless) and decided she'd just go ahead and call her. She talked with her a long time, checking on my online American bank statements for the information she needed and eventually hung up saying, "Elle était charmante, cette dame..." (she was a lovely woman). Turns out I need an IBAN number to make an international transfer and we can't find that number on any online banking statements... and if I can't find it, we can't make the transfer. Instead, she will have to send me a check in euros, which I will then have to deposit to the bank... which will take several weeks and a processing fee. Bah! But at least there is a solution!

Then Corinne announced that since she had worked for me, I was going to work for her and help her take down her laundry that was out to dry on the porch:) As a side observation- I notice way more outdoor clothes lines here and when we were in Italy than I've ever seen in the US. I asked Corinne if they even had a dryer, and she said yeah, why do you need one? I lol-ed, so nice these people! And explained no, I was just curious because the laundry was hanging out to dry. She said she just preferred having the laundry dry outside in the spring and summer, but during the winter their dryer runs all the time. She said it's way more popular to leave laundry drying outside in the south of France than it is here in Lyon or in the North of France... so she is in the habit of doing so being from Marseille... but also because of how much energy it saves when the dryer isn't constantly in use. I thought man- we use our dryer all the time at home! We only hang something to dry if the tag says to do so... and even then not all the time! But now that I've been living in France with neither a washer/dryer, nor the time/extra coins to sit and wait on my laundry to dry at the laundromat, I dry everything on the rack... and despite my towels being crispy instead of soft, I don't really mind and I could certainly continue to do it for the sake of using less energy in my own house someday....

Anywho, once we got in all the laundry, she went to wake up Lucie, who was home sick, so that we could go pick up Emilie. I stayed in the car while Corinne went out to find Emilie in the crowd of kids just let out from school, and Lucie and I talked about the big Easter chocolate eating weekend that awaited her:) Then we all went to my Tuesday school (and therefore Corinne's school), so that I could meet up with Elise, Eve, and Nathalie, and so that Corinne could pick up flowers she ordered from a school fundraiser.

Once Eve, Nathalie, and Elise were all cleaned up and ready to go, we drove over to Mireille's house (another teacher I gave extra classes to) for a gouté. She lives in a small apartment overlooking a nice wooded area, but with 5 women trying to chat and Mireille's two children under the age of 3 running around, it was a little cramped. But on the whole, I enjoyed playing with her kids and eating our little nutella and bread snack. Once her husband came home, the other teachers changed into something that they hadn't been wearing all day at school and we said à toute à l'heure to Mireille (see you in a bit, because she'd be meeting us later!).

We all got into Nathalie's car and we drove to Carré de la Soie, a nice outdoor shopping mall. I had heard all about it from Luc and Corinne, so I was happy to get the chance to experience it! Strangely enough- the mall closes at 7pm on Friday nights. So by the time we parked and went into one store, we were being asked to leave... which seems so strange to me, even after being here for 7 months! Wouldn't you think a mall would stay open a little longer? I did have long enough to buy a few children's books (I know I know- where will I put them... but I just couldn't leave France without buying at least a few books to read to my kids!). I actually got the same book that both Nathalie and Eve bought for their kids because we had seen it at Mireille's house. It's a book that gives directions and when you turn the page these little dots change shape or color because of what the child did on the previous page... thought it would be cute... and fun to read to any age group (perhaps with some translation involved).

When we left, Nathalie said, ok time for food! Let's go to Subway! I laughed, only because I was surprised that people living in a country so full of delicious baguette sandwiches would want to eat at an American fast food chain. She didn't think I wanted to eat there, but I said oh no, I like Subway... it's just very American. And she said- what? I could have sworn it was French! When we went in, I showed her how the walls were papered with the New York subway lines... but I guess, in all reality, a French chain very well could have been called Subway and styled after the New York metro lines lol. They laughed though, saying that they were trying to assimilate me back into my American culture by taking me to an American food chain in France. Baby steps, they said. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my white chocolate macadamia nut cookie:)

Elise, Nathalie, Eve, et Moi

Elise, Mireille, Nathalie 1, Eve, Nathalie 2

We left the mall for the bowling alley, where we were meeting Mireille and another teacher I'd never met before. It turned out that her name was also Nathalie and she had a son in one of my classes at my Monday school, so she knew who I was more than I knew who she was! We had a little drink (I tried a peach kir) and then the real fun began! If you recall from our last bowling experience, I lost with something like 40 points. This time I won with a whopping 78 points, which was higher than the 50 something Nathalie scored. (Everyone else scored below that... but the scores were equally as low on everyone else's score boards... so either bowling just hasn't been around very long in France or people choose to wait until they're adults to start playing!). But- it get's better. Not only was I able to score a few strikes and spares... I was also given a surprise going-away/happy engagement present. They had been laughing about it and peeking into their bag all night... and finally when I opened it, I could see why-dun dun DUN! It was a lacy piece of lingerie!!!! And if that wasn't embarrassing enough to open in a bowling alley- they made me put it on (on top of my clothes of course) and wear it for the rest of the night!

We then left the bowling alley for the big top circus tent dance club. It was in the middle of an open field... with bouncers that strictly asked how many of us were in the car before letting us park. We paid 10 euros for the entrance fee, which included a drink token. We sat down at a table around the middle of the tent... and out came a circus performer spinning on his head, juggling upside down (reaffirming my dislike for circus-ry tricks... I think it just freaks me out and makes me scared the person is going to hurt themselves).

When he finished his act, this area became our dance floor!

When he was finished, the DJ put on music and the first couple of people went out to dance. Eve said, come on girls, and we all went onto the dance floor, dancing to who knows what haha. It was one of the most unique experiences I've ever had before- there were people ranging in ages 20-70 doing their thing, either in groups of people, with a partner, or on their own. The music ranged from 70's-80's French/American/English pop to music from Grease to salsa, reggae, and hard rock. Some songs I had never heard but were huge crowd pleaser's... others were songs I knew by heart (Grease tunes of course... and Sweet Dreams). And the dancing! It ranged from swaying and side-stepping to line-dancing to kind of jumping up and down. There wasn't a whole lot of "dirty dancing" going on... we danced as a group... boys danced together.... boys danced by themselves (I was shocked too)... women danced by themselves- people were just dancing and having a good time because they liked to dance. It was fun and refreshing- people were "gettin' down" just because they liked the song and wanted to dance.

We were there for probably 2 or 3 hours... not getting there until about 11... which meant we didn't leave until about 2am... and I didn't get home until about 2:45. It was so much fun for my last night out with the girls... but I've been so tired and sore all day! My feet hurt!

So there you have it- my crazy French night in a nutshell! I said my goodbyes to everyone except Nathalie who's coming to pick me up at 11am tomorrow. I'm having Easter lunch at her house and helping her kids find chocolate Easter eggs:) I'm also getting up early to meet Caroline at the Creation Market to do one last look around for some prints of Lyon. I think that would be a nice, light souvenir to bring back with me!

Hope you're having a nice Easter weekend! I keep meaning to blog about my Paris day trip from last weekend, but I am distracted by packing and making plans for when I get home!

Reste cool:)

last day with simone signoret (the school, not the actress)

Yesterday was another happy/sad day of goodbyes, cute cards and hugs from students, and a gift from my colleagues. During the school day, I sang songs and played games with the kids...semi-reviewing what we'd done all year, but also allowing them to let off some steam. They were all wound up!! I later found out the reason was probably because they had a special surprise for me from all the classes- a big card with all their signatures and classroom pictures... and they were all taking turns to sign it throughout the day. In my last class, which was super duper crazy until I started our jeopardy game, they presented it to me at the end. It was really sweet and probably something I will keep for a long time. In most classes I answered some questions about taking a plane home and what I'd be doing next year. Some kids were so sweet, saying everything to stow me in your bags to I love you with allll my heart lol. Very sweet.

During the morning break, Pierre came in to wish me a happy last day and to invite me out to lunch with the staff. Thankfully I had already been warned not to bring my lunch by Elise;) And then at midi-  a few of us crammed into Pierre's "big" car and a few others into another to go into the village for pizza.

I had always wondered what this little pizzeria was like... so I'm glad I finally got to try it! Pierre walked in like he owned the place, shaking hands with the barman and the guy making the pizzas. He announced that we were here in honor of their American English teacher and pointed me out... so then I shook hands with them too lol. They sat us down at a long table outside; there were 9 of us total- Pierre, Martine (CP teacher), Nathalie, Elise, Mireille (teacher I taught extra classes for), Perrine (teacher I helped with American breakfast), moi, Corinne, and Souad (a very nice special education aid who's always grabbing my hand to look at my engagement ring lol). Of course by now, I know to expect these "individual" pizzas to be pretty hefty... so I thought about ordering something else. When I realized everyone else was ordering pizza, I thought- welp, when at a pizzeria, guess you should order pizza. I ordered the "village" pizza with jambon crue and oeuf, so a pizza with cheese, a fried egg, and slices of prosciutto like ham. It may sound weird, but boy was it delicious. I ate it all, despite being one of the last to finish. I don't know how they eat so much food so quickly!

As we were having our cafés, Elise and Nathalie pulled out a present for me to open. I had just told them I was thinking I'd need another suitcase because I had been given a cookbook from a student... when wouldn't you know it! I got another cookbook! This one, however, is amazing:) It has 900 different French recipes, beautiful pictures, calorie counts, and menus to explain what goes well together. I also got a pair of earrings that are very cute and have been wearing all day today!

It was sad to say goodbye to a few, but for the most part I will see all of these teachers again. Elise, Eve (who was sick yesterday), Nathalie, and Mireille are taking me on a whirl-wind French adventure Friday night. We're going to Mireille's house for a gouté, then to an outdoor shopping mall to walk around and eat a quick dinner, then we're going bowling, and we're finishing up with a night of dancing at a really interesting looking place in Saint-Priest. http://www.vivabodega.com/

Today, Corinne came to help me decide on a suitcase and a few other items to bring home with me. She needed to do some Easter egg shopping, so it worked out nicely to walk around leisurely shopping for stuff! Their Easter eggs by the way, are like our chocolate bunnies. They get huge eggs to eat and then they hide little chocolate eggs to find. Very few French people aren't shocked to hear we use real decorated eggs. Most people say, well that's no fun at all! Who wants a real egg when you can have chocolate eggs!?!

On our way back home from Porte des Alpes, I told Corinne that I still hadn't heard back from the lady at the mairie to know whether or not I can stay in my apartment the Tuesday night after she checks it out. They won't be back from Marseille until Wednesday, so after she helped me carry up my groceries, Corinne took down her number to get it worked out for me:) She called me back a little later saying that I could stay in my apartment Tuesday night and that Wednesday night, they'd come pick me up, I'd spend the night, they'd take me to the airport in the morning, and then they'd drop the keys off at the mairie on their way home. Hurray for things coming together!! If for some reason I still haven't heard back from my bank tomorrow afternoon, I may ask Corinne to help me with that too. Things seem to just get taken care of much more quickly/easily with a native speaker on your side!

Only one more day of school left!!!

adieu, adieu to yuh and yuh and yuhuh

Today and yesterday have been full of farewells and bonne continuation's (the French have a "bon" something for everything, bonjour, bonsoir, bonne fin de la semaine, bon appétit!)... and consequently goodbye presents! It's been very nice of them, but where am I going to put it all!?!

Yesterday, I went over to the Rocheblave's like I do every Sunday. However, yesterday was my special lunch date with them before Julien left for Germany. I went over about noon and hung out with the kids while Luc went to pick up fresh bread from the boulangerie (because what would lunch be without du pain??) and Corinne set up the table outside in the backyard. I brought over 3 CD's I had burned for each of the kids as my going away present to them. They were sooooo excited! They all took turns listening to their CD's on the family stereo... dancing and running around, generally being crazy because they had American music on a CD. It was pretty cute lol. Lucie, especially, was just glowing she was so happy to have Justin Bieber, Shakira, and Katy Perry on the same CD :) I also got a little going away present- a pretty shirt Corinne picked out and had me try on for them. It fit and I love it:)

When it was finally lunch time, we all sat out in the beautiful sunshine and blue sky for apéritifs (radishes, chips, and Marseillais drinks for the adults). For lunch, we had BBQ- which for them is not hamburgers and hotdogs, but sausages, steak, and kebabs (I think my iron should be about normal after all I ate hehe). Besides a few chorizo type sausages, they also had a specialty Lyonnais sausage- an andouillette, which I later found out was tripe! Eek! But, although they tricked me into trying it, I think I liked it the best lol. It was pretty tasty! When I asked what I was eating, Corinne giggled and said, well, it's tripe... which is why I didn't really elaborate when I told you what it was called;) Tant mieux pour moi (all the better for moi)!

We also had asparagus (which they were shocked to find out I had eaten before... apparently it's native to the south of France and just grows naturally in the woods near where they used to live. Who knew?), mashed potatoes, salad, and bread. For dessert, they brought out this special box full of tiny pastries. Luc had picked it up at the bakery as well... and I finally understood why on earth boulangeries make such tiny pastry cakes and tarts. It is so you can try 3 or 4 really delicious creations without feeling too bad about yourself lol. There were 18 in total... and we split them amongst ourselves... only leaving 3 uneaten. The kids were so funny when I went to pick up a second one... saying... "Oooh Leendsay! Toi, t'es une gourmande!!" Which essentially means- you're fond of good food aren't you!! But, being a "gourmand" can also have the negative connotation of being greedy.... although I've never heard it used in that way. French people have this appreciation for other connoisseurs of good French food :)

After lunch, Corinne said: allez-up! Time for a walk! The girls got out their bikes and Julien stayed home to finish packing for his class trip to Germany. Corinne, Luc, and I walked along with the kids... chitchatting and enjoying the sun (who also seemed to be enjoying my pale winter skin- I'm a little sunburned today!). We did a little tour round Saint-Priest and came home for the afternoon gouté. I thought- ah! How? How do the French stay so skinny! It really doesn't make any sense. They have a croissant, yogurt, milk, coffee, and juice for breakfast. They have a small salad, fruit, vegetable, meat, cheese, bread, and dessert for lunch. They have a few cookies and a piece of fruit with tea or coffee in the afternoon. And then they have another meat, vegetable, bread, and dessert for dinner. The majority of them drink at least 1-2 glasses of wine per day and on days that you spend celebrating something, you drink something before the meal, with the meal, and after the meal. And yet- this country has very few people that could be categorized as obese or even overweight. I just read an article that French people are the skinniest of all Europe. Some of the teachers I work with are itty-bitty, but eat eat eat! So- I've decided it has to be genetic lol. There must be a French skinny gene (haha no pun intended). I guess it could also be what they eat and their portion sizes... but somehow it isn't quite panning out for myself. This mystery is still to be solved...

Anywho- after the girls were finished with their bread and nutella, I played memory with Lucie for a while and listened to a soccer match with Julien. Playing memory with Lucie was a hoot because we'd get down to 4 or 5 cards and realize none of them had matches because she had lost the pieces :) I took a picture of Corinne and Lucie which inspired Luc to take a picture of all of us with his camera and to print it out for me. I was invited to stay for dinner, but I decided I needed to get back to prepare for my last day with my Monday school. I waited until they took Julien over to the middle school to leave for his trip so they could take me home on their way back.

But who knew what an experience taking Julien on his first ever school trip would be? After we finally got everyone in the car, Luc drove at a snail's pace just to drive Julien nuts. He'd been freaking out all day about missing his bus, forgetting to pack something, having enough space on his camera to take pictures, etc. I cracked up laughing in the car as the rest of the family yelled, "Mais papa!!! C'est pénible!" (Dad! Why are you being so difficult!!) It was just like something my own dad would do;)

I figured we'd just let Julien hop out and get on the bus, but we parked and stood by all the other parents and kids waiting to be called to put their luggage on the bus. The kids would come around and give each other the double-cheek kiss, the parents would shake hands and kiss, parents who didn't know each other would nod and say enchanté- some of Julien's friends I had met before even gave me the double cheek kiss! Others asked if I was his big sister they'd never heard about. He'd explain, no no, it's just Leensay, and they'd go, oooh ok lol.

When Julien's name was called, he hugged his mom and dad, kissed his sisters and I goodbye, and went to put his luggage on the bus. Then he came back twice to hug his mom again, which was so cute... especially coming from the tallest of the 14-year-old boys there. I saw a few of my students running around and said hi to them and their parents. Julien came back panicked he had forgotten something, and finally- 30 minutes later, the bus was pulling away as parents were running around the bus trying to find their kid to wave au revoir. I could have sworn some mothers were tearing up! And they'll be gone all of 5 days in a country only 13 hours away! In all the band trips I've gone on (some to Florida which were 15 hours away), I've never, ever seen parents and kids display such emotion in parting. It was bizarre, but sweet... and I'm glad that I got to experience it:)

Today, I went to my Monday school for the last time. I set up my jeopardy games and had a great time with all the classes playing to review the material we had covered all year. In Sabine's class, they sang me a special song and presented me with thank you cards. In Carole's class, they presented me with cards and presents (one was a Lyonnais dictionary!). After the game, they passed out cups of juice and drank to my health and thanked me for my help this year (that was adorable). In Christelle's class, they wore red and pink for my last day. I guess because I made such a big deal about no one wearing red on Valentine's Day, they thought they could make up for it today! They also sang me a little song. In Sophie's class, they gave me a few presents (one is a 365 day French cookbook... which is awesome, but heavy!) and sang me Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles. In my CP class, when I asked how they were, they said, "I am... sad" because it was my last day:( And then we sang Jingle Bells one last time haha.

During my last lunch with my colleagues, they asked me all about what I'd be doing next year and opened a bottle of sparkling wine (also to drink to my health and wellbeing). I brought in thank you pencils and wrote them a card... and then they brought me out a big gift basket of things from this region. What lovely people! I said my goodbyes and out I went to pay my last bill at the cafeteria and walked my 3 big bags of stuff home!

Now I'm going to do some cleaning and maybe even attempt to go running/work out. I was reminded of my 5k yesterday by Luc and Corinne... who were shocked to find out I haven't been training at all! It's in less than a month! Yikes!

Reste cool:)

internet? (and some Paris pictures!)

This morning I checked my email on my ipod around 9:00. When I went to log on to my computer a few minutes later, the internet was gone! So sometime between 9:00 and 9:08 this morning, my neufbox remembered to turn off on April 17th :( However... just to see what would happen, I used my old friend Freewifi with the codes Laurence gave me way back in the beginning... and it's working perfectly (albeit a little bit slower than with my neufbox, tant pis though!!) So I don't know if it was beginners luck or what... but so far, so good. Back in September/October, when I hadn't gotten my fixed DSL line installed yet, the freewifi would work one day and not the next... and it would take me 10 tries before it would finally log me in. Hopefully something changed and I won't have those issues again and will still be connected for my last 10 days!

Anyway, I gotta go get ready for my lunch with Corinne's family. Julien is going to Germany on a class trip, so no tutoring today, just lunch!

Enjoy a few spring time Paris pictures while you wait for a Paree-post:)

Au spectacle!

This week has been a pretty easy teaching week for me! Circus on Tuesday and a musical performance field trip Thursday! Now it's already the weekend.... next year is going to be rough haha!

But anywho- yesterday I got to school at my usual time, but we didn't leave for an hour. The CM2 class was without a teacher (or a sub) once again, so I didn't get to teach the one class I would have had. Instead, Salima, the special education aid, and the mother of a student I have at my Monday school, convinced me to hang out with her in Hossein's class. I don't teach with him, but I do teach his class with the other teachers. He taught a lesson on symmetry while I was there and it was interesting to see him teach a lesson. He was pretty much a perfect example of how to effectively teach a class using the traditional direct style of teaching. Even though he stood in front of the class the whole time (I haven't once seen centers in any class but Corinne's and I've only ever seen a class set up to work in groups once!), he asked good questions, let kids think for themselves, used technology!!! (first time in a French classroom I've seen that!) and visual aids, had students come up and explain what they were thinking... it was great! ...All except for the few times he went off on one student in particular. This one student would drive me nuts as well, and usually does during my lessons, but instead of working with him on fixing his constant calling out and fooling around, the maitre just got up in his face and yelled. And I thought.... it was too good to be true! I'm so ready to teach a classroom of my own... so I can at least put these negative observations to some use... to know what not to do. I feel so useless just sitting back and watching kids get yelled at for the same behaviors they do over and over again. Clearly yelling isn't helping the situation!

Which brings me to the rest of my odd and annoying morning. I helped Anne-Laure's class get on the bus and sat with them at the show... and her kids are so out of control! As soon as she is out of sight, they just act like wild animals... And anytime she turned around and saw kids acting up and I wasn't "doing anything" or trying to pull them aside to talk to them about it, she came over and yelled. So I just gave up. Instead I just tried to distract the kids from being crazy... asking them stuff about the show or their family, etc. As we were walking into the auditorium of Saint-Priest, I saw Nathalie's class from my Tuesday school and was so happy to see them quietly waiting in line, waving to me. She had asked me to go with them too, so I knew they'd be there. But seeing these 2 classes right next to each other made me realize how different the two CP teachers are.... I've never heard Nathalie yell at a child or get up in their face. She uses a lot more little behavior techniques to help organize her class... and clearly it pays off. Her kids are no "harder" a population to work with either, so it can be done without yelling!

Once we got seated and watched the show, the kids were mostly well-behaved, minus one kid that thought it would be funny to give a thumbs up or down after each performance. That didn't last long once I caught her attention with an angry teacher glare! On the whole, the show was very, very French, which was interesting for me and the kids seemed to be entertained. The singers played accordions and little kazoos... they wore very eclectic outfits with bold jewelry and colorful glasses... The music was interesting, they sang about everything from what to do when you have nightmares, friendship, and children soldiers being forced to use Kalashnikovs.  They also did a little segment on letting immigrant children stay in France where they belong, in their schools with their friends, without the fear of being deported by the police. Despite my personal beliefs, I sort of thought it was a little overly one-sided for a public school event. And then when they asked kids what they wanted to be when they grow up and a couple kids said police officer, the main singer said... hrmmm, we already have enough of those. I'm not sure what she meant by that... but it seemed like they were a little biased towards one political disposition... so it will be interesting to see what Nathalie says about it. Regardless of whether or not being politically unbiased is as important in French public schools, I still thought they were odd topics to sing to 4-8 year olds.

Thankfully, Salima offered me a ride home and I didn't have any afternoon classes. I had an epiphany on my way home too. I've been trying to think of a good going away type present to give to my teachers. I had pretty much decided on just writing everyone a nice card until I thought of giving them a CD. Some of the teachers that I hang out with burn CDs of French music for me... so I thought I could give them some American music they might not have heard (which is hard since they hear a lot of it!). I also thought I could make other teachers a copy of a Raffi CD I have... and then maybe they'll use it in their classrooms or with their own kids!

I'm not doing a whole lot today- laundry and hanging out with Hannah when she comes over later. Since we're leaving for Paris early tomorrow morning, she's spending the night both tonight and tomorrow night when we get back later. It's actually turned out to be nice that Hannah needs a place to stay because she's too far out from the regular Lyon bus system... I haven't had to worry about coming home late at night by myself at all these last few months which I really worried about at the beginning.

Just FYI- since I will be getting home pretty late tomorrow night, and my internet may be cut off Sunday the 17th (since that's the 10 day date I gave them before I leave), you might not hear from me until at least Monday when I get to school and use their computers. I'm also going to see if Free Wifi works again... so we shall see!

Have a nice weekend!
Reste cool:)

Traboules of Croix-Rousse!

This morning Elise came to pick me up around 10:30 on her way home from a neighboring city to Saint-Priest. She lives over near the airport, about 25 minutes away from where I live, so thankfully I was sort of on the way! She had to go fill out paperwork for her son's passport (they're going to Canada this summer on vacation)... and I was surprised to see her son in the car as well! I figured she'd leave him with her mother today... but apparently her mom is really sick with the flu. So- we were avec bébé! I didn't mind at all.... plus he slept most of the time we were in the car, while she made lunch (bifteck or thin slice of beef-steak and dauphinoise potatoes... like scalloped potatoes for us), and didn't make a peep while we carted him around the city in search of the secret passageways or the lyonnais traboules.

It was fun to see her apartment and to see pictures of her family and boyfriend (they have a civil union... so he's basically her husband- but sounds like they just haven't found the time or money to have a real wedding ceremony... she said one day though!). She gave me a bunch of documents to put on a thumb drive (some specifically French, but others that are kind of universal... art projects, color by numbers, etc.). She also brought out some French card games and tried to explain how they were played. It was funny that she felt like she needed to show me typically French things.... but in the end, she was inviting me to come over again next Wednesday to meet her mother who loves to play cards... so that should be interesting if it works out!

We chatted and had an apéritif while she cooked (sweet wine and sausage with nuts). We chatted while we ate, and finally, Corinthan, her son woke up for some lunch of his own! His name is pronounced core-ain-tin... but despite knowing what it sounded like and how it was spelled, I still had issues pronouncing it. Not an easy French word to say! But while mommy cleaned up, Corinthan and I played with his jouets in his room. He's a very cute little boy with long reddish hair... but it's kind of weird to baby talk in French, or at least talk to a baby in French. But we understood each other just fine lol.

Once we were ready to go, Elise drove us into Lyon, passing by the mur des canuts, or the Canuts Fresco (Canuts are the lyonnais silk workers). It is actually the largest fresco in Europe (who knew it'd be in Lyon!) and displays the daily life of the habitants of Croix-Rousse, with of course an emphasis on the silk worker trade. It's quite amazing (painted in 1987)- I couldn't get the whole thing in one picture.... but what is also awesome is that it's a trompe l'oeil, or one of those trick of the eye paintings. The windows you see are actually painted in!

We parked in a garage near the grand caillou, or the big rock... it's really nothing too exciting, just a big rock... but I do remember Corinne and Luc saying it was a really really old rock... like from the prehistoric era lol. I don't know how it ended up on a hill in Lyon, but anyway- that's where we parked. In looking for the start of our little tour Elise printed out, we passed by a group of people living in teepee's and tents. Elise tried to explain that they lived the way they did in protest of something... I'm guessing from their signs and bus run on cooking oil that it had something to do with energy resources and the planet... they looked a little rough, but it was interesting none-the-less! And a great way to start off our tour of the very artsy-hippie-rebel area of town- Croix-Rousse!

The traboules tour was marked by little blue and yellow lions and arrows... and although it was fun to figure out where the next lion was, we somehow missed a few, and subsequently a few traboules. Tant pis I said! The ones that we did get to see were pretty amazing, especially the one on Place Colbert, the cour des voraces. It is said that the first traboules of Lyon were started in the 4th century when residents needed a way to access water... they built the covered passageways to parallel roads... I guess for both refuge from the elements and to provide a quick way down to the river from your house. In any event, there are over 300 traboules in Vieux Lyon, Presqu'ile, and of course Croix-Rousse. The ones in Vieux Lyon obviously date back quite a ways to the middle ages, whereas the ones in Croix-Rousse date back to the silk workers (1800's). They built them to both traverse les pentes de la Croix-Rousse quickly (the slopes of Croix-Rousse) and to keep their materials, silks, etc. safe from the elements when moving from workshop to workshop.

The traboule on Place Colbert has a 6 story staircase, is the site of a Canut revolt (when the silkworkers were fighting for better working conditions), and is one of the most visited of the traboules. It is quite spectacular even with some graffiti as you walked down the stairs to continue through the tunnel. Graffiti is pretty much all over Europe, but in Lyon, it seems to be more prevalent in Croix-Rousse. When I commented about it to Elise, she said... well this area is un peu rebel, as in the people who live/work in this area are a bit rebellious. She said she wouldn't come here at night... it's definitely a different side to a big city... and if you don't know your way on the traboules, you can easily get yourself lost! It is quite the interesting area of town- lots of vintage shops and unique boutiques on some streets, wild looking bars a hodge-podge of chairs and tables, and secret passageways to boot! A little trippy if you ask me!

But in all seriousness, the traboules are really cool- and to know that they served a purpose and still do today (I have another colleague who's always talking about using the traboules to get down the hill faster) and helped local resistance fighters in World War II, only makes them better. If you think about it- having 300-400 traboules at the resistance's hands was probably incredibly useful. They're impossible to find unless you know where they are and where they lead... so for foreign invaders, I'm sure they worked to the locals' advantage for quite some time (and I doubt they had little blue and yellow lions leading the way!).

After our descent from the top of the Croix-Rousse, we ended up at my favorite fountain in Place des Terreaux. We walked to Rue de la République for some ice cream and Corinthan's afternoon gouté. We decided to take the metro back up (we went down a lot of stairs with the stroller.... there was no way we were going back up them!)... and Elise drove me home.

Now it's about time for bed! I have another spectacle to chaperon tomorrow!!!
Enjoy the pics and reste cool:)

Field Trip Day au Cirque

This morning I got to school early to meet up with Corinne's maternelle class to leave right away at 8h15 for the cirque!! The kids have been "studying" the circus ever since they'd seen a Charlie Chaplain movie back in January, and I've been teaching them animal names for a while now (consequently I've been learning them in French lol)... so I got to help chaperon the field trip too! ...I'm sure being buds with Corinne probably helped me get one of the adult chaperon gigs as well;)

The kids were soooo excited, and to be honest so was I:) Little did we know our buses would be late, so we had the kids all lined up and outside waiting for them, but only 1 arrived on time. The littlest prek class got on that one and us in the grande section stood on the sidewalk. I at least got a chance to freshen up my animal vocab and remember names (being in this class once a week for 20 minutes kind of makes remembering names a challenge!). I stood at the end of the line with Andy, Noa, Assia, and Mélusine. Assia is a very calm little girl, the other 3 were a handful! But- the buses finally arrived and off we went! C'est parti!

On the way there, I sat next to Florian's mom who chatted me up about the kids learning English. She thought it was funny that the kids taught me words in French more so than I taught them in English (these kids have a tendency of looking at a picture I show, repeating the word in English, and then immediately translating them into French, as if they're making sure I know they know the words in French lol... but in the process, I think most of what they repeat in English goes in one ear and out the other!).  

Once we finally arrived at the circus, we led the kids inside the tent, got them seated on the benches and we waited for the show to start. I sat next to Andy and Noa who probably enjoyed holding all of my attention. Noa would get very excited and stand up every few minutes to get a better look, so I'd remind him to sit down so the other kdis behind him could see. Andy wanted to know what I thought was coming up next after every performance. He also liked to count the number of acrobats we had seen, the number of items being juggled, etc. They made the odd experience worthwhile!

I say odd, only because I've never been to a real circus with animals. In general, I don't think I liked it much. The tigers and lions being forced to stand on little stools made me sad... the camels had big bald spots and sagging humps which just reminded me too much of Free Willy... and the acrobats kind of made me scared they were going to fall a few times. Some of the tricks were neat, and it was definitely fun to talk to the kids about it, but I don't think I'll be heading back for an encore!

We got back about half an hour late, which meant my lunch date with the other teachers wasn't happening (they had to leave without me to have enough time to eat themselves!). I walked home thinking I'd eat real quick and come back, but they called me and said not to bother coming back if I didn't feel like it. I kind of felt like a smelly camel, so I decided to stay home and shower:)

Elise called me this evening to set up our outing in Lyon tomorrow. She's going to pick me up and take me to her house for lunch... then we're going to Lyon to see the traboules in Croix-Rousse. I'm pretty excited... so I'll have to tell you all about it tomorrow! Here are some circus outing pics!

Reste cool:)

Cannes et Nice Weekend

Voyage en train

I met Helen at the Part-Dieu train station in Lyon for our train departing at 9h07 (how specific!). The TGV high speed train made stops in Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Cannes, Antibes, and finally Nice (with maybe a few more in between… bit those were the major ones!). The journey took 4.5 hours and for the most part, it was quite the beautiful ride. Before arriving in Marseille, the landscape began to get hillier, huge snowcapped mountains appearing in the distance. The closer we got to Marseille, the more we passed red rocky cliffs with deep valleys, deep green covered scenery, and finally- la mer! Between Marseille-Cannes-Antibes-Nice, the train rides right along the gorgeous blue French Riviera coastline.

We rode the train all the way into the Nice-Ville station, a beautiful 19^th century Gare, complete with a forged steel rooftop and stone sculptures. Helen and I had the good fortune to experience the Nice-Cannes Riviera coastal train ride 4 times when it was all said and done because after dropping off our backpacks at the hotel, we hopped back on a train headed back towards Cannes.

On our way back from Cannes, we met Hannah and Caroline at the station in Nice. They were just getting in from Lyon because they had to work earlier in the day. Thankfully for moi, I don’t work Fridays and was able to head on down south with Helen a little earlierJ

Zee Hotel

Although the Hotel Negresco would have been a cool place to stay (rooms ranging from 245-2500 euros a night… $340ish-$3500ish- yikes!), we opted for the more convenient, bang for your buck: Hotel Trocadero just a hop, skip, n-a-jump away from the train station. Our room was a “quad” with 4 separate twin beds- so perfect for the 4 of us girls. The bathroom was basic, but clean, and for one night it only cost 88 euros- which split between 4 people, 22 euros is not too shabby!

Cannes Sights

If you’re thinking- Cannes, as in the Cannes Film Festival? You’re right! It hasn’t always been the home to the rich and famous though- it used to be a meager fishing port town. A rich Englishman was on a boat with his sick daughter once upon a time and they had to stop over in Cannes for help. After spending some time there, said rich Englishman decided it was beautiful enough in Cannes to build a winter vacation home…. Over the years, his friends followed, bringing with them money… German and American tourists also came to enjoy the newly luxurious resort town and eventually the film festival followed. It began in 1939 after the French government was outraged over the interference at an Italian film festival by fascist Italy and Germany. The first full film festival took place in 1946, after WWII. It is now a non-public film festival, and therefore why it is a popular place for movie stars to be seen.

In all reality, the streets of Cannes and the window displays reminded me of luxurious Monaco with more tourists and less of a feeling of exclusivity. I wasn’t terribly impressed by the area where the film festival is held… but that could be because there were tents and trucks all over the place taking down some sort of big shin-dig from the week… so I’m not sure we saw all that there was to see. We were able to walk along an area of the sidewalk dedicated to famous movie star handprints. We seemed to be the only ones much fussed about them; other locals were out sitting on top of them, reading books or having picnics.

Other than that- we didn’t do much touring in Cannes. We were excited to be on a sandy beach in the bright sunshine… and before we knew it, we were ready to head back to the train station to meet up with Hannah and Caroline.

Nice Sights

We walked down to the seaside the first evening. It is quite strikingly different from, and better, in my opinion, than Cannes. It is a much bigger city, in fact it is the 5^th largest in France. There are beautiful fountains lit up in Place Massena, home to one of the world’s biggest Carnival celebrations. Along the sea, you find the famous Promenade des Anglais. Nice is known as one of Europe’s oldest human settlements (as in pre-historic settlements displaying the first uses of fire), was a major Greek city (Nicaea), switched hands between Italian and Provençal communes, and finally became a part of France in 1861. The English started coming to Nice to build their winter vacation homes as well, which explains the name “Promenade des Anglais” or the promenade of the English.

Along the promenade you have the pebbled sea on one side (no sand here!), a two way street lined with palm trees, and luxurious hotels and casinos on the other side of the street. It was definitely something to see at night all lit up. Plus, the Hotel Negresco is situated along the promenade and might possibly be my favorite thing to see in Nice!

The next day, the girls and I left the hotel in search of Vieux Nice. We walked back down to Place Massena, lined with beautiful reddish-orange colored arched buildings. We took pictures of the many fountains and parks… and eventually made our way through the tight corridors of the old town. We saw the beautiful Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate in a quaint square filled with gelato shops and restaurant terraces. From there, we walked up to an overlook… climbing several flights of stairs (had to work off our morning pastries!) and were able to see amazing views of the coast.

On our way back down, we planned out our route to hit up the famous flower market, walk along the pebbled sea, and have a nice lunch at one of the seaside restaurants. The market in Nice is something to experience and was not just a flower market when we were there on a Saturday. The colorful fruits and delicious smelling goodies were helping us work up quite an appetite. Hannah and I had an early pre-lunch dessert (lemon cannolis- yumz) while we continued walking through to the flower market- which had every flower one could ever think of! Talk about a Nice smelling place (no pun intended hehe!).

After our lunch and walk along the pebbles, we ventured back into old Nice for gelato, more pictures, and started our journey back to the hotel to pick up our bags… By the end of the day we were all saying… why didn’t we work in Nice!!!

La bouffe (food)

This wouldn’t be a proper post if I didn’t include what I ate. Besides the lemon cannoli and gelato- Helen and I grabbed baguette sandwiches to go on our way to Cannes and had KFC for dinner (yes, I know, how could we have wasted a meal in France on KFC- but hey… it’s been so long since I’ve had chicken tenders…. And we were saving up for our nice seaside lunch! It actually turned out to be quite a nice experience with a very efficient little man behind the counter who heard our accents when trying to pronounce “tenders” the French way and spoke to us in perfect English! Guess we were in more of a touristy area!). For lunch the second day along the sea, we sat underneath beach umbrella’s and sun sun sun, eating mussels and chips (not me- Hannah and Helen, although I did try a tasty mussel), pizza (not I again- Caroline), and salmon with buttery delicious veggies and risotto with a crispy slice of bacon (yep, this one was mine!). It was soooooo yummy. Parfait, as we say in France.

And there you have it! Hope you enjoy the pictures!